by Diane Bator
“Not this one.” Leo dropped the board and set aside the tape measure. “Aside from writing sites, all she visits are a lot of murder and forensics sites. You don’t think she’s a killer, do you?”
Danny rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I have strong doubts, but I don’t think I’d drop by for a coffee anytime soon.”
“A mystery writer, more like.” Katie dipped her brush in the paint. “That’s funny since we all know how much Danny likes writers.
Leo chuckled. “Yeah, it’s like dealing with cats. They’re attracted to the people who are the most allergic to them. Except there’s no shots for allergies to writers though.”
Nate raised his eyebrows and reached for the board near Leo’s feet. “She didn’t kill her husband, did she?”
“Nope.” Danny shook his head. “Not yet anyway, but I have a feeling she’d like to.”
“Are you sure he’s her first husband?” Nate leaned on the board and wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Has she had other kids? Did her parents die mysterious deaths? Is she using a fake name?”
Danny, Leo, and Katie all stopped what they were doing to stare.
Nate shrugged. “What?”
“You sure you're not a writer?” Danny asked then glanced at Leo. Bobby had checked out all those things and cleared Lucy. “I think you need to stop hanging out with Katie in the bookstore. I know for a fact this lady’s cleaner than a bar of soap.”
Nate seemed disappointed. “Sorry, thought I could help.”
“You can, Bro.” Leo slapped Nate’s shoulder then sat on a sawhorse. “Finish that bookshelf so Danny has more to paint and an excuse to go to the bookstore more often.”
Katie’s jaw dropped. “And what are you doing?”
“Supervising.” He grinned.
She shook her head so vigorously her ponytail slapped both cheeks. “Oh, no. You don’t get out of this so easy. You’re tall, you can get up the ladder and paint edges.”
Leo stepped back. “I don’t paint.”
Danny winced. “You might want to leave before—”
“Oh, yes, you do.” Katie handed Leo the brush and pushed him off the sawhorse. “If you’re in this house, you’re either painting or hammering. No buts about it.”
Leo scowled. “Man, you’re bossy. I dare you to come to the gym and try that.”
“I’ll take you up on that after the painting’s done.” Katie stood her ground and pointed to the wall. “Get moving.”
Leo backed away and looked at Danny. “No can do, dude. I’m leaving.”
“Really?” She stepped into his escape path. “And what do you plan to do instead?”
“Teach lazy people how to get in shape and protect themselves. That’s what I do for a living and I happen to have a two-thirty appointment. I just came for the board meeting. Later.” He paused in the doorway. “About those murders, Danny, we need to talk. I have a gut feeling.”
“You what?” Katie’s mouth dropped open. “What murders?”
“I’ll tell you later. Give us a minute.” Danny waved her off and followed Leo out to his motorcycle. “I don’t think Lucy would rent a car and leave her kids to kill someone.”
“Nope.” Leo folded his arms across his chest. “But after reading all of Bobby’s notes, my gut tells me Lucy’s onto something that could get her in trouble.”
Danny thought about the most recent files Bobby sent. “Come by later. I’ll get rid of these guys and we can talk. I have some information you might find useful.”
Leo raised both eyebrows. “Sounds interesting.”
“It could be.” He glanced back toward the house and lowered his voice. “Do me one favor, will you? Stop by Clancy’s house and see what’s going on with he and Lucy.”
He cracked his knuckles and glanced past Danny toward the house. “Can’t. I’ll be late. Oh, crap. Gotta go.”
“Leo, wait.” Katie ran out of the house with a piece of paper in her hand, but he sped out of the yard before she could stop him.
“Guess he’s got other things to do.” Danny motioned to the paper. “What’s that?”
Her shoulders sagged. “I was going to ask him to pick up a few things. I thought we could have lunch here and finish a lot of the painting tonight.”
He scrubbed his face with both hands. “I think by then we’ll all be ready to get out of here for a while. I’ll take the list. I have to check on Clancy and the case he’s on and you have to check up on Ray and Laura.”
Katie narrowed her eyes. “Are you up to something?”
Danny kissed her and forced a smile. “No more than usual. I have a thought. What do you say we take off one of these weekends? Just you and me. We can forget about cases, employees, and painting to spend some quality time together.”
She slipped her arms around his neck. “I thought you already knew everything about me? Wasn’t I your biggest case?”
“Yup, but files are so superficial.” Danny kissed her forehead. “I want to know more about what’s inside. Find out what makes Katie Mullins tick.”
“And how do you propose to do that?” She lowered her voice when Nate appeared on the porch then grinned and went back inside. Her cheeks reddened.
He gazed into her eyes and pulled her closer. “I thought it might be fun if you helped me decorate the house.”
“Seriously?” She raised her eyebrows. “You want me to help make this place livable?”
He nodded. “I thought that would be a great way to get to know each other better. See if our styles kind of mesh.”
A strand of hair blew across her cheek. “You do realize we’ll have to talk about colors and fabrics and accessories, right?”
“I don’t have a problem with that. I only have one request.” Danny smiled. “No candles.”
Katie flashed a devious smile. “We’ll see about that.”
Chapter 14 ~ Lucy
Lucy, I’m putting the house on the market when I return from the cottage so you and the kids need to find somewhere to live. I have arranged for an agent to start the paperwork and will meet with him next week. Pack then scrub the place so it will sell fast. Roger
She forwarded the e-mail to her lawyer then crumpled the misprinted copy into a ball she tossed into the recycling bin. Roger had a load of nerve. This was her home and she wasn’t about to give up without a fight. He’d already taken everything they had together and fed her a few measly dollars a month, barely enough for she and the kids to survive.
By the time Clancy walked into her backyard at one o’clock armed with a bottle of wine, a six pack of beer, and a package of chicken breasts, she was ready to cry and regretted inviting him over for lunch for his help cleaning the glass off her lawn. She stared, caught off-guard he owned anything other than a greasy t-shirt.
Clancy seemed just as comfortable and far more handsome in a button-up dress shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. The mint green shirt ignited the teal of his eyes and made them shine like rare gems. Even the bruised one. He was as mysterious as her current main character which alone was enough to intrigue her. Is that what she’d been thinking? She never should have invited him over.
It took Lucy a full minute to find her voice. “You changed.”
“So did you.” He set the bottles on the picnic table while he appraised her pink spaghetti-strapped summer dress. His eyebrows rose as though he liked what he saw.
Lucy lit the barbecue and tried to slow her hammering heart. She wasn’t sure why she’d bothered to dress up, but the lingering look he gave her now was worth the effort. No one had approved of anything she’d done in a long time. “I like the color of your shirt. I wanted to paint the bedroom that shade, but Roger hated the color. He said it was more for a fancy spa or something.”
Why had she said that? Nerves? Clancy didn’t need to know what color her bedroom was or that Roger hated the color and she wouldn’t do anything to upset the balance in their perfect home. She’d repainted the bedroom Camel, aka Boring Beige, to appease him.
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br /> “Thanks for helping me clean up the glass.” She drew in a breath to steady her hands.
“No problem. Glad I’d taken chicken out of the freezer for dinner.” His voice was soothing, yet gave her shivers. “Do you have a corkscrew out here?”
She waved her hand toward the end of the table where wine glasses stood next to a corkscrew. “I wasn’t sure what you were drinking.”
“Perfect.” Clancy uncorked both bottles and poured them each a drink. As he handed her the glass of chilled Pinot Grigio, his hand brushed hers. “Here’s to neighbors. The good ones, the bad ones, and the just plain crazy ones.”
“Which one am I?” She asked, not sure she wanted an answer.
“That remains to be seen.” He winked. “So far, I’m leaning toward just plain crazy.”
“I buy that. I’ll season the chicken and get it on the grill.” Lucy set her glass down and grabbed the package. She the chicken breasts into the kitchen, slid them onto a plate and added a liberal sprinkling of salt and pepper. Half of the Key Lime pie she and Gina had made last week thawed on the counter. Gina would be excited to make something new when she got home.
“What do you need me to help with?” Clancy’s breath caressed her bare shoulder.
Lucy flinched. She hadn’t heard him come inside. She took the stuffed baked potatoes she’d wrapped in foil out of the oven. “I’m good, thanks. The potatoes are ready and dessert’s thawing. Just set the potatoes on the top rack to keep warm and check the barbecue. I’ll toss the salad and be right out.”
“Of course, milady.” He walked back outside with the chicken and potatoes.
Lucy fanned her face with a handful of napkins, convinced she was losing her mind. A new man in her life would be a great distraction. Clancy was handsome and seemed somewhat intelligent, but she remained wary?
They ate grilled chicken breasts, Caesar salad, and baked potatoes at the table in the backyard, their meal punctuated by stilted, nervous conversation about Packham and the sweltering summer weather. By the time she brought out the Key Lime pie for dessert, her hands had stopped shaking and a pleasant warmth spread through her body.
While her kids preferred simple foods and ran from the table the second they were done, Clancy sat back and moaned. “Lucy, this is the best meal I’ve had in ages. You’re pretty good with that barbecue. I’ll have to cook for you sometime.”
Her eyebrows arched when he poured her a third glass of wine, or was it her fourth? Either way, the chilled wine went down far too easy with the steak and baked potatoes. She glanced over to make sure the patio door was open. “Oh, yeah? What do you cook?”
He gave her a crooked grin. “I have an amazing mother who taught me all about cooking. My specialty is Butter Chicken. I also make a mean vegetable curry. I’m lousy at baking though. I’d never be able to take over Mom’s bakery in a million years.”
“I love curry, but I never make it because Roger...” Lucy closed her eyes to collect herself. “Sorry, it’s still hard getting used to. He and I were together for so long.”
Most days their separation didn’t seem real and some days she had to stop from picking up the phone to call him out of sheer habit. Now Roger wanted her to sell the house. They’d split the proceeds then he’d leave and never bother her and the kids again.
Some devoted father. Her reply e-mail, once she’d hooked her computer together again and caught her breath, was scathing. Perhaps that’s what this “family” vacation this week was about. Roger’s way of saying good-bye before he paid her off and left her with the kids and nothing else? As she sipped her wine, her eyes filled with tears.
“I’ll bet it’s a lot to get used to suddenly. Mitch said...” Clancy nodded. “Not to be nosy, but did you really have an affair?”
Roger’s rumors came back to haunt her. Her husband was one subject she’d been reluctant to discuss with anyone. Thinking about all the things she hadn’t seen coming made her feel like a loser. Maybe this was a good time to set the record straight.
“Roger had the affair, or should I say affairs.” Lucy drew in a deep breath as the light played on the wine in her glass. “The only one that I knew of at first was Cynthia. She was one of his million-dollar clients who was bored with her own husband and wanted to test drive someone else’s. Roger was either too stupid or too flattered to say no so he left me and moved into her apartment in Newville. Ironically, she got bored and kicked him out.”
Clancy winced. “Then he moved to his own place?”
“Nope, then he moved in with some other woman. Michelle, I think. After that, he bought a condo in Newville near the lake and Tanji moved in.” She paused. “There may have been someone else in between, but I stopped keeping track.”
“All those women in a couple months?” He set his cutlery on his empty plate. “What about you? Have you dated anyone since he left?”
“No.” Her stomach seemed hollow, despite their decadent meal.
“Really?” Clancy’s eyebrows knit together. “A woman as gorgeous as you? You haven’t dated anyone? Seriously?”
“It’s only been a couple months since he left.” She managed a weak laugh then folded her napkin. His curiosity rattled her. Was he hitting on her and she was too dense to pick up or did he have an ulterior motive?
“I know, but you should at least—”
Lucy held up a hand to cut him off. “Clancy, I’m the one who has to take care of the kids all day, every day. Roger takes them for an hour when he feels like it. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a babysitter for three kids even just for an hour of peace?”
He reached for his glass. “Then I guess you’re stuck with having men come and play video games with you and your kids.”
She gagged and nearly spit out her mouthful of wine. “You were serious when you called that night our first date?”
“Well, you were out cold most of the time.” He shrugged. “How could you have known?”
Lucy blinked back an onslaught of tears that sprang up and the words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. “Shawn told Roger you came over Saturday. He said we drank lots of wine, I passed out, and you spent the night.”
“An abbreviated version, but close enough. Was Roger mad?”
She blew out a wavering breath. “Livid.”
“Good.” He met her gaze. “Serves him right for leaving you and the kids.”
“He made me sound like a…” She struggled to find the right word.
“A slut?”
Lucy snorted. “Stop helping. What about you? Any ladies in your life?”
Clancy winced. “I run a business, have a sick mom, I’m helping out a friend, and I’m trying to keep my family from falling apart. Doesn’t leave a lot of time for romance.”
“Guess that gives us one thing in common. We’re both too busy to live our own lives.” She pushed her plate away. “So how did you find time to come over for dinner?”
“I have someone covering for me at the tattoo shop, Mom has a lady at the bakery for another month until she can get back into the kitchen. My sister...” He bowed his head and swirled the wine in his glass. “Sorry. That’s one topic I don’t want to discuss.”
“You don’t get along?”
Pain flickered across his face. “She and my dad had a falling out then she walked away from all of us. I’ve been trying to track her down to see Mom before she...you know.” He paused to sip his drink. “Did you have plans for today before you invited me over? Any wild parties or dates I should be concerned about?”
Her thoughts strayed to the pile of papers on her desk. A magazine deadline and a novel in progress she was tempted to pitch in the compost. “I have a date with a dead guy.”
The yard grew quiet aside from the buzz in her head from the wine. She checked again to make sure she’d left the patio door open then glanced at Clancy who sat riveted to the chair with his mouth agape. “Oh, no. I didn’t mean it that way. You know what I meant.”
“
I hope so.” He cracked an ear-to-ear grin and sat back. “If I didn’t know you were a writer, I’d run for cover.
“There’s still time, you know.”
Clancy remained in his seat. “So what’s your book about?”
“The one I’m writing now?” She raised her eyebrows. Roger had always made fun of her writing. He never thought she could write, much less publish, an entire book. So much for support. What she needed were friends who shared her interests to get some moral support aside from her kids.
A thousand thoughts shot through her head like comets and she took a deep breath. She needed some advice without giving her suspicions away. “You’re a detective, aren’t you?”
“Last I heard.” Clancy leaned away. “You’re looking at me like you’re going to have me for lunch, which is a little scary.”
Her face grew hot. “Am I? Sorry, I was just thinking—“
“That you could use a nice, juicy detective brain to pick for your novel,” Clancy finished.
“Am I that transparent?” She took a deep breath, talking about her book seemed easier when she was tipsy. “What would you do if you found something that made you think someone is in some serious trouble?”
Clancy squeezed his eyes shut. “Like what? Is this for your book or about Roger?”
“My book.” Lucy swallowed hard, hoping he believed her. “It’s a murder mystery. A woman’s annoying neighbor disappears one night. Since she’s the last person he argued with before he vanished, she’s the main suspect.”
Clancy grinned. “Hm. Sounds semi-autobiographical.”
“No, it’s not like that.”
“I’m kidding.” He shifted his chair away from the table and got more comfortable. When the legs scraped the wooden deck, Lucy shuddered. “That would depend what I found and how serious the trouble was. If it was life or death, I’d go to the police.”
“I can’t.” She panicked and pulled in a sharp breath. The sound of metal on wood still ebbed in her brain. A thought tried to form, but dissolved before she could wrap her mind around and capture it. “I mean, my character can’t. If she does, she thinks he’ll kill someone. Actually, he may have already killed someone.”
