“I’m free tomorrow.”
“Perfect.”
Bonnie and I were still navigating our new relationship with each other and weren’t at the point yet where we exchanged phone numbers. The only option of finding her was to check out the places she normally frequented, and the only other place I knew was Season’s Living. It was likely she picked up extra nursing shifts at the assisted living facility. It was lonely going home to an empty house that had once been filled with love and hopes for the future. I should see what she was doing for Christmas. I hated the thought of her being alone. Her only vice was having fallen in love with Samuel.
Visiting hours were over in about thirty minutes. The parking lot was deserted. The security lights casted a faint orange glow around the lot. I chose the closest spot to the main building, staying in my car for a few minutes and searching for anyone lurking about. Eric knew my mom lived here. I’d be vulnerable at this time of night walking the few yards to the building. No one was out and about.
Stop scaring yourself. I opened the door, tugging on my winter coat. There was a cold bite to the air. My breath hung in little clouds as I walked to the front door. Lights swept across the parking lot. Good. Someone was coming to get in a quick visit. Some of the residents had sons and daughters who always arrived within twenty or so minutes of the ending of visiting hours. They always feigned surprised at having to leave so soon after arriving.
Since I was here, should I stop by my mom’s apartment? Usually, I visited on Friday, but the parade had kept me busy and this morning my mom didn’t know me. Tonight, I really needed my mom. My heart clenched. Tears welled in my eyes. I couldn’t bear it tonight if she still thought of me as the nice lady who taught crafts.
An engine revved. Shielding my eyes from the light, I continued toward the sidewalk, making sure I didn’t trip on anything. For some reason, the person in the car was shining their lights on me like I was on a stage and needed to be back lit. The high beams flashed on. The motor revved again.
Panic started to set in. You’re fine. You’re fine, I told myself, hoping I’d soon believe it. I picked up my pace. The sooner I was in the building, the better I’d feel.
The tires squealed. Rubber stench filled the air as the tires spun on the asphalt. They were going to run me over. I ran for the sidewalk, praying someone else pulled into the lot before the maniac hit me. I heard the car bearing down on me.
I leapt for the sidewalk, hoping it offered me some protection from the car. I landed on the ground, my heavy coat taking the brunt of the impact. I rolled like I was on fire, trying to put as much distance between me and the parking lot.
The car sped away. I stood up. Had it been Eric? A chill raced through me and my legs almost gave out. Get into the building. They might come back. The thoughts spurned me forward. I pulled out my cell phone, clutching it to my heart as I ran for the door. I yanked it open, fumbling to tap in my password so I could call the police.
Angela was sitting in a visiting area nearest the window. She smiled at me. “Coming to see your mom?”
I gaped at her. Hadn’t she seen the car? “How long have you been here?”
“A few minutes.”
I sat down beside. “Did you see the car in the parking lot? It tried to run me over.”
“I saw a car pull to a stop and someone got in. I didn’t see you in the lot. They might not have either.” She scanned my outfit and frowned. “I don’t know why they say no white after Labor Day, a white winter coat would be so much easier to see at night. Especially with how early night comes.”
I checked out my attire. I was wearing jeans and a dark purple coat with a matching stocking cap pulled low on my head. Had my mind conjured up a murder attempt? Was my imagination getting the best of me? I had been thinking about murder all day.
“Are you visiting your mom tonight?” The night receptionist walked over to me, an anxious expression her face. I knew what that meant. My mom was in the past and if her present showed, demanding to be known, it would send my mom into an emotional tailspin the nurses would have to deal with tonight.
“No. I wanted to talk to Bonnie.” I sat on the couch next to Angela. “I’ll wait here with Angela. I thought you had plans with Norman for the rest of the day.”
“After talking to the mayor, he said he had more matters to deal with and it was best I wasn’t home alone. He took me to lunch and dropped me back off.” She heaved out a sigh. “Our town is becoming so different from what I remembered. It’s not the same place I raised my children.”
“It’s a good place to raise children. It’s why I moved here thirteen years ago.” I started listing all the pluses of Season’s Greetings.
She patted my hand. “Don’t feel the need to defend it. All towns grow and change because the people change. Attitudes of the time change. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes not.”
“Jenna’s murder?”
She nodded. “Never happened before now. Everyone has too many personalities nowadays. Who they are at work, online, church. They’re someone different in each place.”
“Not everyone,” I said. “I’m always the same person. So are my children.”
Angela twisted to look directly in my eyes. “Are you sure? You don’t act different when talking to customers than friends? Scotland isn’t more formal when he’s wearing his police officer uniform than hanging out with his mom at home?”
Okay, she had me there. Scotland had to be a different version of himself when he was on duty. But he was still the same person. Still respectful. Still devoted to truth and justice. Still helpful and caring. In his heart, he was the same person. Just a little more formal and with more rules to abide by when he was a police officer.
“Hi, Merry, heard you wanted to talk to me.” Bonnie’s white coat was draped over her arm along with a bright blue scarf. A few weeks ago, I wondered why Bonnie wore a white coat during winter, now I knew. It was really dark in the parking lot and the bright white coat made her easier to see.
“It was nice catching up with you.” I hugged Angela.
“It was nice having someone to chat with.” Angela squeezed my hand, her eyes sparkled. “I loved being able to craft again. Those signs were so much fun. I had wanted to make a couple more.”
“You’re a natural.” An idea popped into my mind. “I could use some help catching up on Christmas orders.”
“Really?” Angela beamed and clapped her hands.
“Really. I can pick you up at home on Sunday. How does two sound?”
“That would be wonderful.” Angela settled back against the seat, smiling and eyes twinkling. With her white hair and the rosy glow in her cheeks, she resembled Mrs. Claus.
Bonnie and I walked a few feet away. “It’s nice seeing Angela so happy. She’s been rather sad lately.”
“It has to be hard knowing you’re coming to the end of your life.”
“True. And she does spend most of her time in her thoughts. It was nice seeing her take part in the crafting class. I take it you’re here about the letter.” There was hope and fear and in her blue eyes.
“Letter?”
“Yes. I got a letter from the court in yesterday’s mail.” With shaking hands, Bonnie pulled it from her coat pocket. “I’m terrified to open it. I was trying to guess by your demeanor if it was good or bad.”
“I haven’t checked my mail in the last couple of days. I have a bin of it to sort through when I get home.”
Bonnie’s eyes narrowed. That was the woman I knew. “You might not care if you were married to Samuel, but I do.”
It had to be hard, wanting and believing you were married to the man of your dreams, only to find out you were either a bigamist or never married to him. “It’s easy for me to ignore my mail since Brett is handling the matter for me. He’d have called if there was major news.”
Bonnie’s shou
lder slumped forward, and she plastered a smile on her face. She shoved the letter back into her pocket. “The mortgage company is questioning the ownership of the home. With no will, everything is in question. I was hoping it was over with.”
My heart went out to her. All of Samuel’s assets were frozen while the judge sorted through the mess Samuel created with his deceitfulness. “Does Cassie know about any of this?”
Bonnie shook her head. “It didn’t seem like something a teenager should be burdened with.”
“Do you have anything—note, email, text—where Samuel said he divorced me? That could help. I have plenty of messages where I told people I was divorced.”
Bonnie smiled. “I might. I’ll send them to your attorney if you think it might help.”
“I doubt it would hurt.”
“Thanks, Merry.” Bonnie slipped on her coat. “What are you doing tonight? Would you like to come over? It’ll be nice to have someone to hang out with.”
The receptionist walked over to Bonnie and whispered something.
Frowning, Bonnie nodded then came over to me, pulling her phone from her coat pocket. “I have one more task to see to before I head home. I’ll give you a call when I leave.”
“Everything okay?” I asked even knowing from the expression on Bonnie’s face something wasn’t all right.
Bonnie patted my arm. “It’s not your mom. She’s becoming a little more aware of “when” she is. I bet she’d love to see you tomorrow.”
I recited my number to Bonnie and then added hers to my contacts.
“I told Norman about my new part-time job.” Angela dragged her husband over to me.
“That was a nice offer, Merry.” He tilted his head to the side and stared at me.
The scrutiny was making me a little uneasy. Had Orville told him I was concerned he was showing signs of his memory slipping? I hated giving it a more technical term, making it more real. I knew the path that he and Angela might find themselves on. It was a hard road. Stressful. Was Angela healthy enough to handle it?
“Friends help each other out.” I smiled at them.
Norman breathed out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad that things are okay between us.”
“Why wouldn’t they be?” Angela wrung her hands together, her voice taking on a tinge of panic. “Is it because of the fight this morning in the mayor’s office?”
“It wasn’t a fight, my love, just a slight misunderstanding.” Norman patted her hand. “The mayor thought Merry might have been responsible for something but realized she wasn’t.”
“It didn’t help that he had told a few people,” I said. “It’s over with.” I hoped.
Angela tsked. “The mayor shouldn’t go around talking bad about people. He’s not going to get reelected doing that.”
Nor would he once it got out that money was missing. No matter who took it, it wasn’t going to bode well for the mayor—which gave the mayor a good motive for murder. Where had he been the night of parade? I didn’t remember him being there. The mayor attended every year. Even finding a way to ride on whichever float was likely to be the town’s favorite, besides Santa’s sleigh. Only Santa was allowed on it.
I was sure the police would find that highly interesting. I made a mental note to pass it on to Orville, not so much believing the mayor had a motive for murder but that I hadn’t seen him at the parade. Maybe the key to finding the murder was pinpointing who hadn’t been there that night. The person who committed the crime would want to be as far away as possible.
“The mayor has spoken with the forensic accountant and everything should be cleared up shortly.”
“With who?” Why did Norman think the matter was resolved if a forensic accountant was involved? No one could just put back money. The accountant would know. What had I been thinking even contemplating going along with that plan? I’d be trying to cover up for a crime, maybe not as bad as having embezzled the money but it wouldn’t be seen as a positive thing.
“The man the mayor hired. You mentioned meeting him.”
Jack. Why hadn’t Norman mentioned that in the mayor’s office?
“I have to go.” I spun toward the door, my mind tumbling with unkind words I wanted to scream at Jack and excuses to give Bonnie on why I was bailing on our plans.
Twenty-One
I jumped into my vehicle and started the engine. Leaving it in park, I snagged my cell from my purse and called Bonnie. “I have to cancel. But I need you not to go home alone. Cassie and Helen are having dinner tonight. You should join them.”
Bonnie drew in a sharp breath. “Why? Where are you?”
“In the parking lot. I don’t have a lot of time to explain. Just please stay somewhere else tonight.”
“I’ll be at your car in two minutes. Don’t leave or I’ll call the police and tell them you’re in trouble.”
Heaving out a breath, I slumped against the car seat. This wasn’t going the way I planned. I wanted to keep Bonnie safe not drag her into this mess like I had Cassie. I should’ve listened to Orville and stayed home.
There was a light tap on my window. Bonnie pointed at the car lock. I unlocked the doors and Bonnie slid onto the passenger seat. Turning sideways, she dropped her purse onto the floor and settled into the seat. “Start from the beginning.”
“That will take a long time.”
“At least tell me why I shouldn’t go home, and what is going on with Rachel. I heard you were there when she was hauled out of One More Page in handcuffs.”
The incident was getting around town. “I went to talk to Eric Wilcox and it didn’t go well.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Merry, what aren’t you saying?”
I was churning up some reasons in my mind and stopped, settling on telling the truth. I needed to share with someone, and Bonnie loved Samuel. There was no way she’d pass this on to anyone else. “Mayor Vine told me that Samuel had borrowed money from the town with the intent of paying it back from the lottery winnings. From what I understood, Samuel made the deal with Jenna.”
Slowly, Bonnie shook her head back and forth. “No. He wouldn’t have done that. It’s not true.”
I kept my opinion to myself. While I had defended Samuel against stealing, borrowing I could see him doing. “That’s what I went to find out and when I didn’t see Eric, I looked around a bit. Eric caught me and forced me to go inside and talk to him.”
“Forced.” Anger tinged her voice. “Did he hurt you?”
I shook my head. “He threatened to go after Cassie if I left. I was able to leave, and I’m worried he’ll try and come after her…especially now that Rachel’s been arrested. I didn’t want you alone at the house.”
“Why would that—” Bonnie covered her mouth with her hand, eyes widening. “The police think Rachel and Eric are somehow involved in Jenna’s death.”
“She is,” I whispered, holding back a sob.
Bonnie pulled me into a hug. “Honey, I’m so sorry. I know how close you two are. Your poor heart just can’t get a break lately.”
“Now, Cassie is mad at me.”
“She’ll get over it.” Bonnie leaned back, keeping her hands on my shoulders. “Cassie’s world has been turned upside down again, and she’s mad at you because you’re her safe person. She knows you’ll forgive her and move past it.”
Was Bonnie right? Cassie saw me as her safety net? “I don’t know…”
“I do. Cassie adores you. Even if she’s forgets it from time to time. It’s the same thing I see with my patients. When they feel overwhelmed by their situation, they lash out at the people they know won’t turn away from them.” Bonnie buckled up. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
Bonnie shrugged. “Your house or mine. It doesn’t matter. You don’t think I should be alone, and I don’t think you should either. I’d start
driving before someone wonders why this car is hanging out in front of Season’s Living and calls the police.”
That was definitely something I didn’t want and from the resolve on Bonnie’s face, she wasn’t getting out. “The first place Eric is liable to show up at is my home.”
“Then my place it is.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” The words choked out of me. My heart started to race and sweat broke out on my forehead.
“Where else do you suggest? It’s either my house or yours. Unless you want to crash Cassie’s dinner with Helen.”
I shook my head. Where were we going to go? I shifted the vehicle out of park and pulled onto the road, hoping a place popped into my head. The fact was it was either my place or Bonnie’s. Neither one seemed like the best choice.
“You don’t want to go inside my house.” Bonnie placed a comforting hand on my arm. “You don’t have a lot of good memories there.”
Not many. I had some. And they were all wrapped up with Christmas. Actually, the majority of my happy memories in this house was of Cassie. Being her mom. Having her blossom as my daughter.
“I had good ones.” I choked out. “I allowed myself to forget. I focused on the negative. I—”
“Left a man who didn’t love you. There’s nothing wicked in that. You couldn’t stay in the marriage for Cassie.”
“I could’ve kept being her mom.” I tightened my hold on the steering wheel.
“I wouldn’t have allowed it.”
“You didn’t stop me.” I flicked my gaze toward her. The look in her eyes told me to listen.
“I would’ve. There was no way I’d have let you be a part of Samuel’s life. Reminding him of what I lacked. I’m not a mothering type. I knew that from a young age.”
“You mother the patients at the nursing home.”
“I like old people. Never liked babies. My grandparents raised me and then my younger siblings. My mom passed us off once we were no longer at the baby stage. My mother loved babies. Wasn’t so fond of children.”
“I’m so sorry.” I hadn’t known that about Bonnie. Actually, there was so much I didn’t know about her. I had narrowed down her identity to Samuel’s new wife who didn’t like her stepdaughter. There was so much more to her. She had deep hurts that affected how she related to people.
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