by Diane Bator
“Dad got really weird when we left our house.” Parker pointed back to where his brother sat on the porch. “He hurt Shawn and beat up Tanji so bad she stopped moving. We left her behind at the cottage. I wanted to call an ambulance, but Dad wouldn’t let me.”
Gina shook her head. “Daddy got mad and tore Mojo to pieces because Shawn wouldn’t stop crying. Then Daddy started hitting him.”
“Are you guys serious?” Lucy’s entire body grew so weak she thought she’d drop Gina.
Parker took her hand and led her to the house. He stopped in front of Shawn and pointed to the bruises on his brother cheek and forehead. “See. That’s what he did.”
Shawn stared at Lucy, his right arm wrapped around the pillar. Without his best friend Mojo snuggled in the crook of his arm, he seemed lost. His eyes welled with tears and his chin quivered. “Hi, Mommy.”
“Hi, honey.” Her heart swelled and tears filled her eyes.
Gina wriggled out of her arms and ran to the car to see Clancy. Parker followed then took them both by the hand. They chatted about the farm as they led Clancy into the house.
Clancy paused and shot Lucy a glance. “I’ll keep these two busy and let Hannah know we’re here. As if she couldn’t guess by all the noise.”
“Thanks. We’ll come in soon.” Lucy sat next to Shawn, longing to pull him into a bear hug and savor his warmth. She fought back tears. “I missed you.”
“I don’t want you to die anymore.” Shawn burst into tears.
She threw her arms around him. “I never thought for a minute that you did.”
He sat up and rubbed a bandages on the back of his hand. “I thought Dad would take us to the lake and we’d swim and eat s’mores and hang out on the beach. Instead, he turned into an ugly monster. He killed Tanji. We left her at the cottage because she was dead.”
A lump formed in her throat. “I know. I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“Me too.” Shawn pressed his face into her shirt. “Did the police catch Daddy yet?”
“Yeah. He’s in jail now. He won’t hurt us anymore.” She rested her head on the top of his. Only time would heal the bruised feelings between them. “Do you think we can start fresh from here? We can’t change the past, but we can build a better future.”
“That’s a good idea.” Shawn smiled. “Does that mean you still love me?”
“Sweetie, I never, ever stopped loving you.” She ruffled his hair.
He curled up against her. “No? I would’ve if I were you. I was really mean to you.”
“You were angry and didn’t know how to get your point across.” Lucy held him tight. “You’re still my baby, no matter what happens.”
Shawn hugged her. “I promise I’ll be nicer from now on. I don’t want to lose you the way I lost Mojo. Do you want to meet my new friends before we go home? You’ll like their mom. She’s really nice, just like you.”
She kissed his forehead. “I would love to meet your new friends.”
Chapter 28 ~ Danny
Two days later, Danny knocked on Lucy’s door early in the morning with a paper coffee cup from Java Jo’s in each hand. She and the kids were home from a mini vacation at Hannah and Nate’s farm while the police processed their house. Clancy’s intuition had been spot on when he’d packed up Lucy then dropped her off at the farm for a night, which became two. He hoped he’d heard right about Clancy’s mom returning home today.
Lucy opened the front door, hair pulled back in a ponytail, and frowned. “Not you again.”
When she tried to close it again, he stuck his foot inside and handed her a cup. “I’m glad you’re home, Lucy. We need to talk.”
She blew out a long breath. “About what? I’ve heard everything, I’ve said everything and I’m done with everything. Roger’s in jail and my kids are home safe. That’s all I wanted. You can leave now.”
“So I’ve heard.” Danny sat on the top step and patted the wood beside him. “You know, I really wish we’d met under different circumstances. We might have been friends.”
Lucy tilted her head to one side then called over her shoulder to the kids she’d be out on the front porch before she joined him. “Maybe we still could. You and your guys did save the kids and I and we owe you our lives. We all had a lot of fun at your sister’s place. Being away from the house was good for all of us. Hannah’s amazing.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Danny smiled. “I know she loved having the company. I just stopped by to make sure you and the kids are okay.”
“I’m holding together.” She managed a small smile. “We’ve all had nightmares, which I expect will last for a while. Bobby had sent over a counsellor who was supposed to be here after he searched the house the last time. We’ll probably all be in therapy for years to come. At least I don’t have to get a restraining order against Roger. He’ll rot in jail for the rest of his life.” She glanced at him out the corner of her eye. “So why are you really here?”
Danny bowed his head. “I guess keeping an eye on you has kind of grown on me. When we were driving to the cottage, I had time to think about a few things.”
She hugged her coffee cup with both hands. “Like what?”
“Like I could really use a secretary. Someone who’s smart, can type, and doesn’t mind working for a bunch of jerks.”
Lucy raised her eyebrows. “Are you asking me to work for you, Clancy, and Leo? No way that’s going to happen. I don’t want my kids in that kind of danger again.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t think so, but I thought I’d throw the idea out there. Before this, I’d actually planned to shut down the agency and become a mechanic so we don’t have a real office yet anyway. Now that our investigation’s over, I’m going back to my day job on the force.”
“Good for you. That’s sweet of you to offer me a job. I do appreciate the thought.” She chuckled and sipped her coffee. “Actually, the kids and I stayed up late last night talking. They know I need to get a real job, but they also want me to keep writing on the side. They can’t wait for me to have my books published one day. They’re already planning the movie premieres and what kind of limousine we’ll arrive in.”
Danny chuckled then drew in a deep breath. “Actually, Katie and I stayed up talking late last night too. Things are picking up in the bookstore and she could really use a hand so she can take a day off now and then without worrying about things. She’ll need at least one extra body by the end of summer.”
Lucy raised her eyebrows. “She’s not doing this out of pity, is she? Or so you can keep an eye on me?”
“Fifty-fifty.” He shrugged and sipped his coffee.
“What?” She leaned away from him.
Danny laughed. “I’m kidding. Look, after all that’s happened, I feel like I betrayed you and the kids and owe you something. I’m just trying to make it up to all of you by helping you get your feet under you again.”
“Gee, thanks.” A wry smile curved her lips. “That’s awfully nice of you to make me your charity case. Guilt’s a wonderful thing.”
He groaned. “Lucy, I’m trying to be nice to you because I kind of admire you. You’re raising three kids alone and fighting to survive. I just want to help make your life a little easier. You remind me of Hannah. She doesn’t take crap from anyone either. I had a hunch you two would get along great.”
She gave a slow nod and glanced at him out the corner of her eye. “So if I were to work for you, would I get to carry a gun?”
He snorted. “Not in my lifetime.”
“Then I guess I’ll give Katie a call.” Her shoulders relaxed.
“That a girl.” He gave her a one-armed hug. “Have you heard from Roger?”
She hesitated. “Just from his lawyer. Roger will spend the rest of his life in jail if nobody kills him first, which means I get sole custody of the kids and not much else.”
Danny raised his cup. “Katie and I are going out to work on my house today. You and the kids should come along. Get away from
everything. I have a huge yard with an old tire swing and a big field full of strawberries.”
“And you could use someone to paint and wallpaper. That sounds great, thanks, but we’ll pass. I have a deadline.” She gave a dramatic sigh. “If only you lived two doors down and didn’t have a girlfriend I like.”
“You have a crush on me? What’s wrong with you?” Danny laughed. “You know that’ll make Clancy jealous and only encourage more stalking behavior.”
Lucy smiled. “No crush. Just a lot of respect. You and your friends came through. My kids are safe. I’m safe.” She paused. “How’s Bobby’s doing?”
He frowned and averted his gaze to the street. “They’ve done a couple surgeries to take the bullet out of his spine and patch him up. He might never walk again, but he’s already planning a new career. He wants to join the detective agency. I told him it was the morphine talking and that he needs to be able to chase bad guys and type at least ten words a minute.”
“What did he say to that?”
“Several things I could do to myself that I can’t repeat in mixed company. Danny sipped his coffee. Then he said to quit pestering you and go work on my house.”
“Thanks for taking his advice.” She nudged his arm. “What’s Leo doing? Does he have another case?”
Danny burst into laughter. As scary as Leo was, he seemed to have earned Lucy’s respect as well. “Leo is…how shall I put this? He’s doing some work around town and is supposed to be undercover, but I’m not sure how long he can stay anonymous. He’s kind of like a gumball machine in a kindergarten class. Everybody wants a piece of him.”
“Nice. Maybe I’ll run into him sometime so I can thank him too.”
“Probably. I wouldn’t recommend it, but I wouldn’t be surprised.” He got to his feet with a groan and rolled a kink out of his neck. “I’d better go make my house livable before I wear out my welcome at Hannah’s. Take care of yourself, Lucy.”
“You too. I guess I’ll see you around. Oh, and I’ll bring my resume to Katie tomorrow when she’s in.” She paused. “Did you hear Clancy’s mom’s coming home? He went to pick his parents up today. She’s feeling better, but he figures it’s only a matter of time.”
“I’m glad to hear you two are still speaking. He needs someone to make sure he looks after himself.” Danny turned to walk away then stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. “Oh, by the way, I know a guy who knows a guy who’s a reader for an agent in Newville. I could drop your manuscript on his desk if you happen to have an extra copy.”
“You do? You would?” Her mouth dropped open. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. I’m going to see Bobby and take care of some paperwork in the city tomorrow.” Danny winked and handed her a business card. “Print off a copy for this guy and I’ll pick it up on my way.”
“Oh wow. Danny, you’re the best.” Lucy jumped up and hugged him. She flew into the house without even saying good-bye.
Danny stood in the blazing sunshine with the impression he’d gained a friend for life.
The End
The Bakery Lady
Chapter 1
After taking a lukewarm shower then rummaging for clothes that would pass for clean, Leo Blue opened the curtains and groaned. More snow. The fir trees along Main Street blossomed with colored lights and lamp posts stood adorned by wreaths. Christmas had taken the small town of Packham by storm overnight, but in his opinion the holiday ranked right up there with root canals and broken ribs. He should have fled to Tibet right after Halloween.
None of the glitz and glamour put him in a festive mood, nor had the phone call from his partner in the Wild Blue Detective Agency to meet at the local coffee shop at seven in the morning. Who in their right mind set up a meeting for so early on a miserable, snowy day?
Leo tossed his cell phone onto the sagging green couch that doubled as his bed by night and sighed. A detective by trade, he wasn’t in a big hurry to take on a new case, not since his nightmares had returned. He blew out a long, bracing breath and reached up to work his hair into a braid. Instead of a foot and a half of red locks, he scrubbed his fingers through the inch-long do he now had to endure after Lucy’s daughter Gina cut his braid off.
Someone fighting cancer somewhere, would get a soft, manageable wig. In return, Leo got a brief bout of the warm fuzzies and cold ears.
On the plus side, his landlord had kindly extended his lease on the small apartment above Main Street so he didn’t have far to walk to get anywhere. At least the place seemed more like home than his frugal apartment in Newville even though the small bachelor pad held nothing of him but his clothes.
He pulled on his leather jacket and winced. Certain he’d developed hives from staying in any place for so long, all he wanted was to hop on a plane and soar to distant lands. Tibet was his first pick, maybe even Ireland, since tropical beaches didn’t exactly top his list. The hot sun didn’t go well with red hair and pale skin.
He sauntered down the stairs to the street and sucked in a lungful of frost. The scent of gingerbread and sugar cookies already wafted from the bakery. Tempting, but since the bakery was closed for another couple hours, he’d settle for Java Jo’s, one of his favorite haunts in Packham. The table near the front window was already occupied. Leo grinned and ordered a large cup of green tea then sat across the small table from Danny Walker.
“Don’t you ever answer your phone?” Danny snapped before Leo could even open his mouth to say hello. His cheeks glowed red beneath his dark-hair and chilly stare. Even after warming up his car, scraping his windows and driving fifteen minutes, he’d still beat Leo to the coffee shop. “Where were you last night?”
“Home.” Automatic reflex. Why had he said home? In reality, he was still in Packham, the little town he hated more than ever. After dealing with one criminal after another for the past six months, he’d rather swim in the Amazon with barracudas than spend Christmas in Crazyville. “Bro, you still fighting off raccoons in your Victorian mansion?”
“Of course I am. Now they’ve discovered they can open the bloody root cellar so I need a new lock on it.” Danny snorted. “Were you asleep when I called? You sound rough.”
Leo raised both eyebrows. He always sounded rough, the scarring on his voice box a side effect of a road bomb that nearly killed him in Afghanistan. “Of course I was asleep. You called me at six a.m. After you called, I contemplated going to Tibet for the rest of my life.”
“You can’t.” Danny hesitated. “We have a case.”
He sighed. “Hence the wake-up call. I thought you wanted to shut down the agency, quit detective work and go back to the police force.”
More hesitation. Leo raised one eyebrow. Somebody must have Danny over a proverbial barrel. The Chief of police? His co-workers?
“I did,” Danny finally said. “This one’s at Hannah’s request.”
A-ha. Danny’s older sister had him by the gonads. Good to know Leo hadn’t lost touch with his gut intuition. “Hannah? Who’s in trouble now?”
“Stop looking at me like that. You said you’d help,” Danny said.
“Oh, no, no.” Leo held up his index finger. “What I said was—”
Danny wrapped his hands around a large mug of coffee. “An artist named D.J. Gage was murdered yesterday.”
Leo tugged the teabag out of his cup and raised his eyebrows. “Who?”
“Some flaky artist my sister went to school with.” Danny, founder of Wild Blue Detective Agency, tossed a file folder onto the table. “She says he was an up-and-comer in the art world and was about to have a breakthrough show at a prestigious gallery that would have made him a big star.”
Art. Another one of Leo’s least favorite subjects, right after Math, Science and English. “How’d he die?”
Danny pulled out a picture of a man’s body. “Apparently, one of his models shot him.”
“A model, huh? I guess the case has some promise then.” He studied the bloody crime s
cene photo. While the gore was sickening, the setting was far more interesting. D.J. Gage was killed in a silver room with silver furniture and a shiny silver floor. Gage himself wasn’t much to look at. In a photo taken at a gallery before his death, he was thin and gaunt, almost vampire-like with a shock of white hair and wide, dark eyes. He seemed so familiar.
A chill ran down the back of Leo’s neck. “I take it the police have a suspect in mind.”
“That’s a long story. Yes and no.” Danny sipped his coffee. “They have the model in custody, but he’s not talking.”
Leo sat back, eyebrows raised. “The model’s a dude?”
“Yup. Gage was an equal opportunity lover. Boys, girls, horses, goats, whatever got attention from the people who mattered most.” Danny pointed to the folder. “There’s all sorts of interesting things in there. From what Hannah said, Gage thought he was the reincarnation of Andy Warhol.”
Which explained the silver apartment and the prickles of familiarity. Leo’s pot-smoking mom was once fascinated with Warhol as well and had even bleached her hair as white as possible until she’d suffered chemical burns and every strand fell out.
He brushed the past aside and sipped his tea, burning his tongue. “Good job, sounds like everything’s already wrapped up. What do you want me to do?”
“What you do best, Bro. Research.” Danny nodded as the counter girl set a plate on the table in front of him. “Find out what you can about Gage and this model who shot him. The guy lawyered up as soon as he woke up and realized the police found him with the smoking gun.”
Leo chuckled. “Woke up? The guy shot someone then fell asleep? Was he stoned?”
He shrugged and picked up his cream cheese coated bagel. “The guy says he was drugged, but refused to give a blood sample until the nurses tied him to a hospital bed. We found a list of names in his apartment and started conducting interviews, but we’re missing one person who could be a key player in the whole case.”
“Oh yeah? Who’s that?” When Leo’s stomach growled, he had half a mind to jump up and order a bagel as well.
