by Diane Bator
Leo flinched and scrunched the note into his pocket. “What do you mean?”
She met his gaze. “I mean you don’t seem very happy about something, even for you.”
“I’m not grouchy.”
“Not grouchy. It’s something else. Sad, maybe.” She rested her chin on her hand. “Is it the new case you’re working on? Well, I’m assuming you’re on a new case since you’re still kicking around town. It’s either that or...” Her eyes widened. “A woman?”
Leo averted his gaze. “Just taking some time off to enjoy the holidays.”
“Uh-huh.” She winked. “I know you a little better than that. I hear you’ve been spending a fair bit of time at the bakery with Daisy’s daughter. What’s her name again? Krista? Hilda?”
“Christina.” His face burned. “She’s a friend.”
“For now.” Jolene stood up as another customer entered the shop. “Oh, Katie was looking for you earlier. She thought you might want a ride to Hannah and Nate’s for dinner.”
“Thanks. I guess I’d better go see if she’s around before she sends Danny to find me.”
Jolene laughed. “Now, now. You know they’re both just looking out for you. Enjoy your evening with the extended Walker family.”
“Thanks.” Leo waved and tightened his scarf, bracing for the cold, then slipped outside while she was distracted. He wanted to return to the bakery to check on Christina’s burn, but headed toward the bookstore instead.
Katie took one look and rushed to his side. “Leo? What’s wrong? You look like someone stole all your favorite toys.”
Leo snorted. “Why does everyone keep asking me that? Do I really look that bad?” He brushed off her concerns.
She turned toward the back of the bookstore and called over her shoulder, “Laura, I’m heading out. Danny will be here soon and I have to run a quick errand before he shows up.”
“Okay. No problem.” Laura Davidson, Katie’s third in command appeared in the doorway. “Oh, right. You guys are going to Hannah’s for dinner. Hi, Leo. You still training people now that the gym’s closed? You know, I’d really like to—”
“Good night, Laura.” Tension filled Katie’s voice.
Leo grinned and winked at Laura who shrugged and grabbed a stack of books off the counter. “See you later.”
Katie hooked her hands around Leo’s arm once they were outside. “I hear you’ve been spending a lot of time in the bakery lately.”
“Don’t you have your own business to mind?” he asked.
“Give me a break. The whole town’s talking about you and Christina. I met her at Daisy’s funeral. She’s cute and she seems really nice. Her family has that gorgeous house on Bishop Street near Lucy’s place, right?”
Leo snorted, watching for Danny’s car. “For someone who doesn’t know anything, you sure seem to know a lot.”
She shrugged. “Sorry, that’s where my burst of brilliance ends. Oh, shoot, Danny’s here. I wanted to run to the bakery and pick up something for dessert.”
He handed her the white box in his hands. “I picked something up earlier.”
“Wow.” Katie gawked. “I don’t know who you are or what you’ve done to Leo Blue, but I kind of like you. Are you driving out with us or taking your own car?”
“I’ll meet you out there.” He blew out a stream of mist. “I’ve got one more thing to do before I head out.”
Katie flashed a coy smile. “Check on Christina?”
Leo winked and waved her away and headed to his Jeep. The drive out to the Diggly farm seemed twice as long as normal. Leo parked in the front yard next to Danny’s Honda and closed his eyes. He needed to become centered before he dragged his miserable self into the house.
Dinner with Danny’s family was normally enough to overwhelm Leo at the best of times. Family, goodwill, and a hearty dose of indigestion after inhaling Uncle Ray’s homemade salsa made it the most memorable meal ever. At least the food was well worth the drive through the falling snow. Hannah Diggly was a great cook and the whole family always made him feel right at home the second he walked through the door. Things went well until dessert.
The cream puffs made him think of Christina and darkened his mood. Not only did he dwell on the Gage case, he also recalled touching her, kissing her knuckles and wanting more than was possible under the circumstances.
“Thanks for humoring them.” Danny walked Leo to his jeep after dinner while Katie tagged along behind. “I know they can be a little intense.”
“No, they’re great. At least they don’t get drunk and throw things.” He kicked at a lump of snow in front of the Jeep. “Are you staying here for a while?”
“Yeah, Katie and I are going up to my place later.” Danny paused. “You should come out and spend the night sometime. It’s peaceful. You could go for a walk and meditate in the woods near the river.”
“Three’s a crowd.” Leo waved a hand. “Besides I have more research to do.”
“You are on a new case.” Katie’s eyes widened.
He snorted. “Like Danny didn’t already tell you about Hannah’s artist friend.”
“You’re assuming a lot.” She smiled. When he raised his eyebrows, she blew out a puff of warm air that turned white then dissipated. “The artist guy who was murdered, right? The one Hannah wanted you guys to look into. That’s all I know, actually. Aside from that Danny went to some gallery to see his paintings.”
His jaw twitched. “The guy who killed him is a model. His wife has gone missing.”
“And you think I might know where she is because I was a fugitive once?” Katie laughed. “If she was here, don’t you think someone would know by now? It’s not easy to hide anywhere in this town.”
“Yeah, I know.” Leo brushed a handful of snow off his Jeep. “Anyway, I told Clancy I’d meet him for a drink. He’s wound up about his sister. Your Detective Wallis called him about her and asked things that threw him for a loop.” He hesitated. “It sounds like she might be linked to the Gage case in Newville.”
“Interesting.” Danny opened his car door and grabbed a file folder. “Speaking of finding things out. Here are the photos from the Gage murder and the shooter’s wife. Rose Ryan.”
Leo opened the folder and sucked in an icy breath. The woman in the photo was blonder and slightly heavier, but left no doubt in his mind. “Oh, shit.”
Danny frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Leo pounded a fist on the hood of the Jeep. “Danny, this is Christina. Clancy’s sister.”
Katie’s eyes widened. “What?”
Danny peered at the picture. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely positive. She’s also the model in those paintings Gage tried to pass off as his.” Leo glanced off into the field. Christina had a husband. One accused of murder.
Katie frowned. “How would someone like her get hooked up with a killer?”
Leo leveled his gaze at her. “How did you hook up with one?”
“Whoa, we’re not talking about me, buddy.” She pushed a finger into his chest. “We’re talking about Christina. Do you think she even knows her husband killed some unknown artist? It's not like she ran off to be with him or anything.”
“What are you trying to say?” His nostrils flared.
Katie huffed. “Maybe she came to town for her mother's funeral and stayed to create an alibi. Her husband was probably supposed to join her, but got caught at the scene.”
Danny pushed the two of them apart. “Settle down, kids.”
Leo flared his nostrils and backed away from them both. “I’d better go. I suddenly have a lot more questions to ask Clancy than I thought.”
The drive back to Packham seemed to take seconds. He cast several worried glances at the file folder on the seat next to him, the envelope in the glove box the least of his concerns. His mind whirled with questions, scenarios and all the things he wanted to say to Christina the next time he saw her.
While Leo wasn’t a barfly, or even an occa
sional patron of pubs, he liked The Tipsy Duck. Actually, aside from the drunks, the atmosphere was cozy and comfortable and he usually enjoyed meeting clients there. What he didn’t like was hanging out with Clancy who sobbed into a pint of beer.
Apparently, Clancy already knew more than Leo did. The gist of the story he got so far was that Christina was a stupid little twit who married a gay man who killed their lover. Not his. Not hers. Theirs. Leo’s stomach clenched.
“Why don’t we go see Christina right now and straighten this out?” Leo wished he’d taken more time to read through the folder Danny gave him.
Clancy ordered another pint. “There’s nothing to straighten out. My sister’s a lying slut. I don’t know why I ever thought I wanted to get to know her better. She’s crazy.”
Leo didn’t have enough ammunition to argue. “Look, I did some digging like I said I would. I also got in touch with the police after you called earlier. I don’t think Christina’s a bad person, Clancy, I think she—”
“I do.” Clancy slammed his hand on the table. “She hasn’t told me the truth in years. She’s a liar. All I wanted to do was get to know her again and be friends. What I got was a magpie nest tossed at me. Well, I’m not sorting that out. She has to.”
“Of course she has to.” Leo toyed with his empty glass. He’d downed an entire beer in order to swallow the story Clancy had spun. “She probably didn’t tell you because she knew you’d want to rush in and fix everything. I’ll bet you’ve always stood over her and made sure everything is just right.”
“She’s my baby sister, how couldn’t I?”
Leo frowned. “This time, you have to step back and let her deal with her own mess.”
“I’m not so sure I can do that.” Clancy frowned. “I went to talk to her, you know. She clammed up and wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“Yeah, well she and I are planning to go out for dinner tomorrow night I’ll talk to her.”
“You’re dating my sister? Are you crazy?” Clancy bellowed, leaning toward him. “Didn’t you hear anything I’ve told you? She’s married. Not only is she married, she’s married to a frigging murderer.” He flagged down the waitress. “I’d run for the hills if I were you.”
“Keep your voice down, I heard you. Keep in mind you’re seeing a woman whose husband is a certified mental case.” Leo scowled. “And I would run for the hills except you hired me to find out more about your sister and I intend to do just that.”
Clancy closed his eyes. “I know, but what if Christina’s husband breaks out of jail and comes to find her? He’ll kill you.”
“Have you seen this guy? Brady Ryan looks like the Pillsbury Dough Boy and has the personality of a drag queen.”
“He what?” Clancy gasped. “How do you know that?”
“I’ve met him and I did some digging.” Leo recited the few things he’d gleaned from Danny’s folder. “Your brother-in-law is an out of work actor who’s had a few bit-parts in movies and poses for artists when he’s not acting. He also does a nightclub act where he dresses in drag and sings like Marilyn Monroe and Elton John at the same time.”
A laugh spurted out of Clancy along with half a mouthful of beer. “Are you freaking kidding me?”
“Nope.” Leo ordered them each another pint. “Your sister’s held down a dozen different jobs over the last few years. She’s been a cocktail waitress, a model, and now a baker.”
He dropped his chin to his chest and sighed. “And here I thought she was lazy. It sounds like she’d need a week just to type up her resume.”
Leo chuckled. “True enough. She actually does have a BFA and is a few credits short of her MFA.”
“Master of Fine Arts?” Clancy ran a hand through his hair. “What the hell does she plan to do with that?”
“I don’t know. What did you do with your Bachelor’s degree?”
His face darkened. “Low blow, dude. What did you study in college?”
Leo tore his paper coaster into several tiny pieces. “I never went to college. I joined the army and got blown up in Afghanistan.”
“That kind of sucks.” Clancy studied him.
“What sucks is that I pulled through.” He pretended not to see the curious look Clancy gave him and took out his phone. “You want to go crash Chrissie’s place and straighten her out now or should we wait for morning?”
“No, let’s wait.” He gazed at the pint of beer that stood between them. “I’ve had too much to drink. I’ll just be a jerk.”
“I’m not going to argue that. Why don’t you finish that and I’ll make sure you get home safe?” Leo chuckled.
“Gee, you’re such a thoughtful date.” Clancy sighed. “I hope you’re this good to Chrissie tomorrow night or I promise any future tattoos will cause you extreme pain.”
The two men walked to Bishop Street where Clancy unlocked front the door and waved Leo inside. “It still seems weird staying at my Mom and Dad’s house. Chrissie should be staying here, but the only way we could get her to stay in Packham was to find an apartment where she could be alone. My place.”
Leo knew the feeling. He hadn’t lived with anyone else since he was seventeen and left home the day before graduation. His father had been drunk and his mother screaming. Not a happy send-off. “I’d better go. Danny agreed to make a few phone calls since he knew all the right people to talk to about Christina.”
Clancy groaned. “I hope he’s discreet. If she finds out I put you on her trail, she’ll stick both of us in her oven like a frigging witch.”
“Yeah, well, she did say people around here like a good gingerbread man.”
He leaned in the doorway and chuckled. “My sister might be married to a fruitcake, but at least she doesn’t make any, just cherry cake. You should try it sometime. If you think her cookies are good, you’ll love her cherry cake.”
Leo walked back through the snow down Main Street toward the bakery. The lights in Christina’s apartment were out except for the flickering of a television set. He wondered if she was watching Christmas shows while lying in bed trying to sort out her life. Since she wasn’t keen on Christmas, a good mystery seemed more likely.
Either way, Christina was smack in the middle of his entire case and Leo had a job to do. As he returned to his apartment to turn on his laptop, both thoughts troubled him.
Chapter 8
Two stuffed gingerbread men and a gleaming spoon held a note propped on the counter in the backroom the next morning. Christina didn’t know what she was afraid of, but her heart pounded and her hands were clammy as she read aloud. “On the second day of Christmas, someone gave to me, two Christmas wreaths and a partridge on a lit-up fir tree.”
She turned on the lights in the store and sighed. One wreath hung on the front door and the other behind the counter. A second feathered ornament hung on the tree, this one a peacock with iridescent blue feathers.
Christina checked the lock on the front door. Whoever decorated must have slipped through the mail slot. There was no damage to the lock or glass and no wet shoe prints. She checked the back door and was baffled. The only way anyone could get inside was through the door with a key. That assumption led her right back to Clancy, who was due for a black eye if he didn’t confess when she confronted him later.
She struggled to dump the necessary bags of flour onto the mixer. Where was her brother when she actually needed his help? When the cell phone rang, she barely heard The Love Boat theme over the hum of the motor. Who would call her at five in the morning?
“Rose?” Her husband sounded like a frightened child.
“Brady.” A cold sweat broke out down her spine. She turned off the mixer and tried not to yell. “What have you done? The police said you killed Gage. What were you thinking?”
“Oh, baby, I promise it wasn’t premeditated.” Brady sobbed. “Gage found out you and I were married and refused to let either of us model for him anymore. He bragged how he’d met someone new and didn’t need you or me anymore. He was
going to blacklist both of us. You would’ve lost your job, I would’ve lost my career and our whole lives would’ve become a total disaster.”
She blinked furiously before tears could settle in, then bent over to combat the nausea that hit as though he’d punched her in the stomach. “I wouldn’t have cared about that. I was tired of posing and freezing my butt off anyway.”
“It wasn’t just the modeling, Rosie.” Brady paused. “He got me hooked again.”
Christina sat on the floor to catch her breath. “Hooked on what? Cocaine? Brady, you promised me no more drugs.”
Harsh laughter filled her ear. “I don’t know what to tell you. You left to help your mom and left me alone. Gage took me to all the parties with his friends. I modeled for him and became part of the in crowd. The drugs flowed like water. Hey, babe, if it wasn’t me, it would’ve been you.”
Getting in to parties or killing Gage? Christina didn’t ask. Gage had offered her pills, marijuana, cocaine, whatever she’d wanted, but she’d never taken drugs, nor did she have a need for them. She tilted her head toward the ceiling and fought off the tears. “How are you doing? Do you have a lawyer?”
“Yeah, some chick who looks like a dude and talks like an encyclopedia.” Brady gave a dramatic groan. “You know, there aren’t as many cute guys here as I’d hoped. Most of them are overweight and have major chips on their shoulders. Some of them have actually killed people.”
Christina rolled her eyes. “Did you have a bail hearing yet?”
“Yeah, but unless you win the lottery, you can’t do anything to get me out, sweetie. Not unless you’re in Newville, have a really good lawyer, and come in to confess.” Brady chuckled. “Don’t worry about me, baby girl. I’m a murderer. I was caught red-handed by another one of Gage’s jealous models. The smoking gun doesn’t lie. Besides, I have friends in high places, they’ll get me out of here in no time. Gotta go.”
She leaned her back against the counter. “You do know they record phone conversations, don’t you? You know you could get life for what you just said.”
