by Kay Correll
“Mom, of course.” Beth smiled weakly at her mother, who did not seem amused. “Sophie. And both the boys.”
She turned toward her sons. “Are your backpacks in Gram’s car?”
They nodded.
“Go get them and let’s be sure the keys are still in them.”
The boys solemnly trailed to the car and retrieved their backpacks. Each of them looked worried that they might have lost the keys in spite of the fact that she regularly admonished them about the importance of not misplacing them. She certainly didn’t want them to inherit her ability to lose things…
“We both have them.” Connor sounded relieved.
“Any other key?” Daniel questioned again.
Beth was loath to even mention it, but she had to admit that Mac McKenna had had her keys for hours last night. But he’d have no reason to trash her house. He wasn’t the type. And what? He’d taken her key and rushed to make a copy of it?
“Beth?” Sophie looked at her carefully. “Didn’t Mac McKenna have your keys last night?”
Well, there was no way to keep him out of it now. “For a bit. But he’d have no reason to do this. I must have left the door unlocked.”
Only she was pretty certain she hadn’t.
“Well, I think we’ll just pay a visit to Mr. McKenna and see what he was up to this morning anyway.” Daniel almost swaggered with authority.
“Daniel, leave him be. He didn’t do this.”
But what did she really know about Mac anyway? She didn’t really know him. He seemed kind. Not at all the sort of person to do this.
Or would he?
She didn’t need this complication right now.
Mac sliced his knife through another corrugated box. He stepped on the box to smash it and tossed it onto the growing pile of flattened boxes. He’d have to make a trip to the recycling center soon.
He heard footsteps coming around the corner of the building and paused with the knife still suspended in the air.
“Drop the knife.”
Mac turned to see two officers standing there with their hands suspended in the air at their sides. He was not oblivious of their guns resting in their holsters inches from their hands.
This was getting to be a habit…
“What do you want?” Mac stood there, still holding the knife poised above the next box.
“I said to drop the knife.” The younger officer fidgeted with the butt of his gun.
“Is there a problem?” Mac slowly closed the knife but continued to hold it in his hand.
“Set it down.” An officer who looked vaguely familiar nodded his head toward the knife in his hand.
Mac set the knife down on the ground. “Is there a problem?” He slowly repeated his question in a tone usually reserved for grilling a wayward child.
“We have some questions for you.”
“Ask them, then. I need to get back to work.”
“Where were you this morning?”
“Right here.”
“Anyone see you?”
“Doubt it. We don’t open until eleven.”
The young officer still fidgeted with his hand near his gun.
“You mind telling your young partner there to get his hand off his gun?” Mac nodded toward the nervous officer. He looked barely old enough to be out of high school, much less old enough to be carting around a gun with authoritative immunity.
“Joey.” The familiar looking cop gestured to his partner, who slowly took his hand away from his gun.
“I understand you had Miss Cassidy’s keys yesterday.”
“Yep.”
“Well, in a strange coincidence, her house was broken into this morning. No sign of forced entry. Right after you’ve had her keys.”
“Her house was broken into this morning? Is she okay?” Mac heard the concern in his voice and that fact alone surprised him.
“She wasn’t home at the time.”
Smith, that was it. The familiar looking cop was somebody Smith who had gone to school at the same time he did. “Look, Officer Smith.” Mac paused as he saw surprise in the man’s eyes. “I’ve been here all morning. So you’re looking in the wrong direction.”
“Seems like quite the coincidence though, don’t you think?”
“You can think what you want. I’ve been here all morning. I suggest you two just move along. I’ve answered your questions. I’ve got work to do.” Mac could feel his muscles tense. Beth Cassidy had been nothing but trouble since she’d popped back into his life yesterday. Two encounters with the police. It was like being back in school. Always the suspect. Accused of anything and everything that went wrong.
“We have a few more questions.”
“And I’m finished answering them. Unless you have some kind of warrant?” Mac wasn't sure why he was being so stubborn, except that he was tired of being presumed guilty. He thought he’d left that lifestyle a long time ago. He had a new life here a couple of towns over from where he’d grown up. He was accepted here. He fit in. The people of Mountain Grove came to his tavern, trusted him, even liked him. He had no desire to get dragged back into his never-fit-in lifestyle in Sweet River Falls.
“Come on, Joey.” The Smith guy gave Mac one more good, long stare. “We might be back with more questions.”
Mac didn't even bother to answer him as he deliberately reached down to pick up the knife. He watched the men retreat around the corner of the building. After a minute, he heard their car start and pull out onto the roadway.
Now he had some unfinished business with Beth. There was no way she was going to drag him down or pull him back into the life of an outsider. Label him as a troublemaker. He was finished with that life and finished with any entanglement with Beth Cassidy.
Except to go confront her about accusing him of breaking into her house.
Chapter 7
Beth swept up the dirt from the ficus tree planter the intruder had knocked over. It was a ridiculously heavy planter. It couldn’t have been knocked over accidentally.
She dropped a dustpan of dirt into the trashcan she’d brought into the house. Everything was such a mess. She’d ended up taking a day off from work. She’d called the principal of the school and explained the situation. She hated to take a personal day—the last thing she needed was to look irresponsible about her duties—but she wanted to get things straightened up before the boys came home from school. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen. It was just too big of a job. Thankfully, the boys’ room hadn’t been disturbed.
Her bedroom had, though. The drawers all pulled out. Closet gaping open with clothes tossed on the floor. She had methodically been going through and washing every item of clothing the intruder had tossed. She couldn’t stand the thought of putting on clothes some stranger had touched while invading her home.
Beth repeatedly shook away the sense of unease that kept creeping up on her while she worked on the house. She’d made the boys promise to go over to Gram’s house after school. Sophie had said that she’d be over as soon as she could to help.
Beth heard heavy booted steps on the front porch. Probably the officers returning with yet more questions. She paused in response to the knock at the door, then shook her head. The intruder wouldn’t come back and knock. She tugged open the door.
Mac McKenna stood planted firmly in the doorway. His face was lined with a hard edge. His eyes burned coldly. She shivered.
“Mr. McKenna.”
He looked past her into the chaos of her house. “You think I did this?” Mac’s voice was low. “The officers you sent to grill me seemed pretty certain I’m responsible for breaking into your home.”
“I’m sorry about dragging you into this mess. They asked who had keys. There was no sign of a break-in.”
“So, of course, you thought of me immediately.”
“No, I told them to leave you alone. I don’t think you were responsible.” Did she?
“But you had to tell them I had your keys for a while
? You thought I ran out and made a duplicate of them or something?”
“Well, what was I supposed to do? I have two boys to worry about too. You did have the keys. I won’t have my instincts of trusting you overwhelm my responsibility to them.”
A brief look crossed his face as though he almost understood her position. The boys would always come first with her. But she really didn’t think he was involved in this. Which brought her to another problem.
Who was involved?
Mac wasn’t involved in this. He wasn’t. She could just feel it. Besides, Daniel Smith had dropped by after questioning Mac and told her that Mac said he’d been at his bar the whole morning. No witnesses, though…
“Here, I remembered I had this. Came to town to show you.” He pulled out a crumpled paper from his pocket. “A delivery I got this morning. See?”
She slowly reached out and took the paper. It was time stamped seven a.m. He’d signed for the delivery, too.
She’d known he wasn’t involved. She shook away the last of her doubts. Her instincts rarely failed her, and she instinctively felt Mac had grown into a kind man and not someone who would break into her home.
She handed the paper back to him. She’d almost swear that the briefest look of hurt crossed his face before he turned to leave.
“No, wait.” She took a step and reached out to touch his arm. “Come in.”
He turned back toward the door. “Are you sure?”
“Mr. McKenna, don’t be silly. Come in.”
Mac crossed through the doorway and entered a new world. Even with the scattered mess, the room conveyed a feeling of welcome. This was a home, not just a house.
He carefully wiped his boots on the mat as he entered. His slow perusal of the front room took in the brightly covered couch. It looked worn and comfortable. A print of two Adirondack chairs on the edge of a lake hung over the fireplace. Sun streamed in the windows.
Juxtaposed against the feeling of homeyness was the background feeling of invasion. “Let me help.” The words just sprang from him, uninvited.
“No, I couldn’t ask that of you.”
“I’d like to.” He could tell she was tired. The strain of the day showed clearly on her face.
She nodded slowly. “Thanks.”
He worked quietly by her side for over an hour. Asking a question or two regarding what she wanted done with this or that. Picking up broken pieces of dishes and glass from broken pictures.
“It looks more like someone just wanted to trash the place than a burglary.” Mac looked around and frowned.
“That’s what the police said too.”
“Any ideas on who would want to do this? A disgruntled student?”
“I teach third grade. I just don’t see this as the work of a third grader.”
“No, probably not.”
Mac glanced around the front room. Everything looked back in place to him. Books back on the shelves. Desk back in order. Pillows placed carefully on the couch. He watched as Beth shoved her hair back from her face. Exhaustion creased the corners of her eyes.
“Mind if we take a little break?” he asked.
Relief showed on her face. “Not at all. I’ll get us some tea.”
Mac followed her into the kitchen. It was still a disaster. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all. Beth just stood there in the center of the room looking around at the spilled drawers and open cabinets.
“Water is fine. I’ll get it. You go back and sit in the front room.”
Beth nodded gratefully. “The glasses are setting by the sink.” She pointed to the counter. “But…”
“I’ll wash them out first,” he completed her thought. He could only imagine the feeling of invasion of having someone go through all of your things. He quickly washed the glasses, filled them with ice and water, and returned to the front room.
Beth had sat on an easy chair, her feet propped up on a footrest. She looked up as he crossed to the chair beside her.
“Here.” Mac handed her a glass and sank down into the overstuffed cushions on a chair next to her. “You doing okay?”
“I’m just tired.”
“It’s probably the emotional strain more than the physical work.”
“Probably. I just can’t figure out who would do this. Or why.”
“Maybe it was just some random act.”
“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.” She glanced at her watch. “The boys will be here soon. I really should get to work on straightening up the kitchen before they get here.”
“You need a break.”
“What I need is for things to fall into place in my life instead of fight me at every turn.”
Whoa. Now there was a statement with far-reaching implications. He wasn’t sure he wanted to open that can of worms.
But he did anyway.
“Things a little tough for you right now?”
She sat and stared at the moisture running down the sides of her glass before she answered. “Well, there is the fact that my ex-husband left me for a barely out of high school girl. He rarely has time for the boys anymore. Or the minor detail that the house got broken into. Or the stress of worrying about what happens to my mother’s lodge on Lone Elk Lake if Dobbs gets his way.” She shifted in her chair. “But it’s not so much the big things that are getting to me. It’s the constant trail of little things. The flat tire. Okay, two of them. Worrying about balancing my job and still having enough time with the boys. Finding the money to pay all the bills. Constantly having to say no to the boys for things they ask for. I swear that sometimes just hauling the garbage out to the street or figuring out what’s for dinner is enough to put me over the edge.”
The sunlight danced through the window, highlighting her legs first with light, then shade. He had no idea what to say to this woman. She carried a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. The stress of the break-in would just add to her burdens. His thoughts jumped all around. He figured it was best not to tell her that marrying that loser quarterback from high school was not one of her smarter decisions.
“Maybe you need to get away for a few days. Take a break.”
“That would just make me further behind.”
“Maybe it would be worth it, just to step back and reevaluate your priorities.”
“I just don’t have the luxury to do that.”
“Maybe adding the responsibilities of being the mayor might not be the smartest thing right now.” He persisted even though he wasn’t sure he was saying the right thing. Or that it was the right time to say it.
She set her glass down on the table with a clatter. “You have no idea what’s best. What’s best is someone besides James Weaver becomes mayor. Someone who will fight the development of looming high-rise condominiums on Lone Elk Lake. I grew up there. I can’t bear to see the quiet beauty of the place ruined with yet another noisy condo complex, busy marina, and constant stream of people who don’t appreciate these last few untouched lakes in the area. They don’t appreciate the peace. The quiet. The pure…”
She slashed her hand across her cheek, and he was pretty sure he’d missed the fact a tear had escaped.
“I’m sorry, Beth. I didn’t mean to upset you. I can see being mayor is important to you.”
“It is.”
“Then I guess it’s something you should do.” He leaned back in his chair as she picked up her water glass again.
He didn’t miss that she still watched him warily over the rim of the glass as if worried he’d question again the wisdom of her adding yet more responsibilities to her life.
Chapter 8
Nora popped into Bookish Cafe with just enough time to grab a coffee with Annie before heading to pick up the boys from school for Beth. She’d offered to keep them overnight again to give Beth time to finish cleaning up her house, but Beth had insisted the boys come home and that she’d have everything finished before school let out.
“Nora, I heard about the break-i
n at Beth’s. Is she okay?” Annie wrapped Nora in a hug.
“She’s a bit shaken. The house is a mess, but she stayed home today to clean it all up and put things back in order. I offered to help, but she said she would do it. You know how independent she can be.”
“But she must be so upset. What’s this town coming to?” Annie led her over to the coffee bar and grabbed two mugs of steaming hot coffee. “Come, sit for a few.”
Nora glanced at her watch. “I do have some time, but I need to go pick up the boys from school for Beth. I don’t want to be late.”
They headed upstairs to the new loft area to sit on some comfortable chairs by the window. Sweet River bubbled along the river walk outside the back of Annie’s bookstore. Nora sank into the chair and took a grateful sip of her coffee. “Ah, that’s good. Never did get my coffee this morning with all the hubbub of the break-in.”
“Did they steal anything?” Annie sat beside her.
“I talked to Beth a bit ago and she can’t find anything missing. She said it’s more like they just wanted to trash her place.”
Annie frowned. “That’s strange.”
“I know. I can’t think of anyone who would want to do that.”
“You think it’s tied into her running for mayor?” Annie’s forehead wrinkled. “Though, I can’t even imagine James Weaver or any of his cronies stooping to that level.”
“Well, I know Dobbs is mad that Beth is running against James, but no, I can’t imagine this is something he’d do either. The police are looking into it. I hope they turn up something.”
Annie leaned back in her chair. “I remember when all the police had to handle here in Sweet River Falls were things like a rogue moose wandering through town and making sure some clueless tourist didn’t mess with it.”
Nora nodded. “Now there are break-ins to cars in the grocery parking lot and the occasional robbery of one of the stores here. I heard there has been some vandalism at the school, too.”
“It’s not quite the same Sweet River Falls we grew up in, is it?”
“I guess all towns change some. Though this isn’t a change that I’d wish on any town.” Nora shook her head.
